Doncic ready to lead Lakers without LeBron: “I’ll do everything”

Doncic stands firm in the absence of LeBron James

Amid LeBron James’ recovery from sciatica in the right area, Luka Doncic, the other star of the Los Angeles Lakers, has expressed that he does not feel the need to take on greater responsibility on the court.

“I don’t see it that way. I just want to play basketball. If I do less, if I do more, whatever is necessary to get a win,” Doncic declared after Saturday’s practice.

Luka Doncic

So far, without James and Doncic, the Lakers have not achieved victories in the preseason, with a record of 0-2 against Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.

The Los Angeles team will face Golden State again in a preseason game on Sunday. Lakers coach JJ Redick has not yet confirmed whether Doncic will play. Sunday marks the start of a series of three preseason games in four days for the Lakers, which will continue with a road game against Phoenix on Tuesday and a second consecutive game against the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Redick has confirmed that Doncic will participate in two of the remaining four preseason games. Doncic was actively involved on Saturday after his workload was modified throughout the week to preserve the 26-year-old player, following his participation with Slovenia in the EuroBasket this summer.

“I had the national team,” Doncic explained. “Playing a month or so of basketball [for Slovenia]. Obviously, there’s a long season ahead, so that’s why.”

Luka Doncic

Now, Redick has the challenge of finding solutions to cover the absence of James, who will be out for the next three or four weeks, pending a reevaluation of his sciatica.

“We hope he returns soon. Those things can be complicated… It’s not clear what the initial lineup will be, that’s the reality, until he returns. We’ll have to figure it out,” Redick said.

JJ Redick

Doncic, along with Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton, will occupy three of the five positions in the starting lineup. Redick will need to analyze the other two starting positions, considering Rui Hachimura, who started in 57 of the 59 games he played last season, and Jarred Vanderbilt, who has started in the two preseason games so far and is in his best physical condition since the Lakers’ participation in the Western Conference finals in 2023. In addition, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart, newly arrived to the team, offer various options in offense and defense. Smart, who has also been absent at the start of the preseason due to Achilles tendinopathy, will play against the Warriors, according to Redick. Redick has considered the possibility of establishing an optimal alignment and rotation for when James plays and a different one for when he doesn’t. Doncic revealed that he and James have “talked a lot” while watching the Lakers’ training from the sidelines during training camp, which has helped strengthen the team’s chemistry. For now, James’ contribution will be limited to his words of encouragement from the bench during the matches.

“It’s a big change,” Doncic said about playing without James. “He’s a great player. He can help us a lot. But at the end of the day, our mentality has to be ‘next man up.’ We have a group of players who have been training and we hope LeBron can join us as soon as possible. Obviously, we’ll need him. But our mentality has to be ‘next man up.’ That’s it.”

Luka Doncic